Cheating Death
by FluffyBunny77
Summary: Tom Marvolo Riddle, now James Sirius Potter, can't wait to turn seventeen and find the person who put him in this situation. He's going to strangle them with his bare hands.


Tom feared very few things. He didn't have a fear of blood or confined spaces. He was one of the most powerful wizards alive and when you're already at the top then there are a few things that scare you.

However, no matter how powerful someone is they still can't escape death. It is a fate that everyone shares.

Tom understood this. He understood it well, but he still tried to fight against it. And in the process, it cost Tom his most precious and valuable asset. His mind.

Tom, in search for immortality, became insane with his horcruxes. It was what led to his downfall. And with his downfall, death came.

Death was something that Tom never understood. No matter how much research he did to find answers to his questions.

What happens after you die? Where do you go? Do you cease to exist or do you go to the afterlife?

These were questions that Tom had no answers to. The more he tried to find answers, the more questions he got. This was the one topic he did not understand.

But if there is an afterlife, then Tom was sure that he would go to hell. No, Tom is sure he is in hell right now.

No matter how much Tom look around, all he saw was darkness. He couldn't even see his hand in front of his face. It came to the point where Tom is not even sure if he is awake.

He's been in this state for a very long time. Darkness was his only companion.

After waking up, if he could even call it that, from the battle with Potter, he woke up in this black space. Surprisingly, his mind was intact.

Tom thinks he would prefer being insane. Staying in this dark place is torture.

Sometimes, Tom thinks he hears a woman's or man's voice, but when he tries to speak he can't. It's like someone not only took away his ability to speak, but also took away his mouth.

Tom can't feel his mouth open or close.

Before, Tom couldn't move or feel anything. He couldn't move his arms or his legs. He couldn't even feel them attached. It was just like with his mouth, he didn't have any.

Overtime, he regained his limbs and was able to move them a little. But no matter how much time has passed, he is still in this place.

Everyday there has been no light just darkness. It never changes. Today, however, Tom saw a small hole, that shoned this bright light, getting bigger and bigger.

He felt something push him and as much as Tom wants to leave this black space, he is scared to leave. This black space is hell and Tom is scared that whatever is in that hole is worse.

However, no matter how much Tom resisted, he didn't win. He was pushed through the hole.

Light, blinding light, was the only thing he saw. It hurt.

His eyes hurt so much. He tried squeezing them, but that didn't help.

Slowly, when he was able to adjust to the lighting, Tom heard crying. A baby's crying and if Tom was anyone else he wouldn't have understood what was going on.

But Tom is a genius. His intelligence was not something you could underestimate. He knew how to use his knowledge and how to increase his knowledge. His mind was his weapon.

He knew what was going on, but deep down he was in denial.

Tom was a baby and apparently, from what he had just heard, his name was James Sirius Potter.

—

Being a baby was something that Tom absolutely hated. He hated that he couldn't move his arms the way he wanted to. He hated that when he tried to speak only gibberish would come out.

But most of all, Tom hated his new _family_. He hated how loving they were with him. He hated the attention they gave him. But most of all, he hated them in general.

He hated his new father, Harry Potter, and his new mother, Ginny Potter.

Everyday, Tom had to see Potter and be reminded of his failure. Be reminded of his defeat and what made him end up as a baby in the first place.

Tom, however, was intelligent. He knew that if they knew who he really was, then he would be killed.

He knew so Tom did what he did best. He pretended and hid his real self. He put on a mask that was James Sirius Potter.

Tom hated them, but James didn't. No James loved them. He loved going out and hanging out with them. He hated their attention, but James thrived in it.

All Tom needed to do is wait. He needed to wait until he was 17 and he would leave. He would leave and make sure the person who did this to him dies a painful death.

Tom does not believe in superficial things. He does not believe in god or anything like that. He knows someone did this. Was it an allie or an enemy? He does not know, but he will find out.

That is his only goal now. To get far away from his _family_ and kill the person responsible.

—

"Come on James," Ginny cooed. "Here comes the airplane," she said as she tried to get James to eat his food.

James just scrunched his nose and turned away from it. Ginny sighed and put down the food.

She's been having this problem ever since they moved James to baby food. He would eat fruity flavored ones fine, but he would refuse to eat any vegetables one's or ones that were supposed to taste like actual food.

At first, she thought that he just didn't like the sweet potato with turkey. However, it became clear to her that he would not eat any of the baby food that was flavored as actual food. He didn't even taste it!

"We can't keep giving you fruity flavored ones James," Ginny lectured. "You have to get all of your nutrients and eating just fruits will not give them to you."

She chuckled. As if James could understand her.

James was an unexpected, but pleasant surprise. Ginny and Harry weren't trying for a baby and they hadn't even talked about it. However, when Ginny got pregnant, she and Harry were ecstatic.

They named their baby boy James Sirius Potter. Ginny was not excited about his name and didn't want to name him that, but seeing the hopeful and overjoyed look in Harry's eyes, she could not say no.

James, her little boy who was 11 months, was a perfect blend of her and Harry with his messy black hair and big brown eyes. He was the most adorable baby Ginny has ever seen and she wasn't being biased because she was his mother. He was just so… beautiful.

Ginny just wanted to gobble him up.

Her thoughts were broken when James slapped the spoon from his mouth. The spoon slipped from her hand and fell on the ground.

She swore. As cute as he is, he could be a little devil when he wants to.

"James no," Ginny scolded. "You do not slap mum's hand like that."

James, who was staring at her, just smiled very cutely and looked away. He looked so innocent that Ginny almost forgot his little tantrum.

"No," Ginny said, "you are not getting out of your punishment with just a smile James."

James, not liking the idea of punishment, looked at her with big brown eyes. He mumbled, "m'sorry mummy."

Ginny felt her heart break. She couldn't stay mad at her little boy. She sighed, "Fine you win. Just don't do that again."

Before James could respond, or do something that convinced Ginny he understood enough, she heard someone calling for her.

"Aunt Ginny," was all the warning she had before a little boy with dark purple hair came running into the kitchen.

It seems Teddy and Harry are home.

—

Harry chuckled to himself as he watched Teddy rush into the kitchen. They just came back from a boy's night. He wanted to bring James as well, but Ginny didn't like the idea of baby riding a broom.

Which was ironic in Harry's mind. Wasn't he around the same age as James when he rode his practice broom.

Hanging out with Teddy, though, was a great distraction for him.

This week has been chaotic at work. The paperwork was a mess because of this new employee who accidentally mixed something up. Funny how one error cause utter chaos.

And because of that error, he's been busy all week and the late nights are catching up to him.

However, because Harry's been so busy with work, he has been neglecting his family and Teddy. Which is why he decided to make it up to him by playing quidditch and taking him out to eat ice cream.

The ice cream treat was a last minute decision. He brought some for Ginny and James though. He carried both ice cream cones, one chocolate and one strawberry, carefully to the kitchen.

As he entered the kitchen he found an amusing sight.

Teddy, it seems, made his nose convert to a pig nose in an attempt to make James laugh. And from the looks of it James is not amused.

—

What an annoying brat thought Tom as he stared at Teddy.

For some reason, Teddy made it his mission to make Tom laugh. Which is weird because Tom, well James, does laugh. He laughs at his mom and dad like any normal baby would.

Tom refuses to think that a six year old can see through his act. He must be doing it for his own amusement and that's why he turned his nose to a pig nose.

Which, in Tom's opinion, is a waste of that ability. Metamorphosis is a unique and rare ability which Tom would love to possess. It's such a shame that this idiotic boy possesses it.

Just as Tom was going to tell this brat to leave him alone by crying, the kitchen door open. He could see Harry standing there holding two ice cream cones.

It seems that he would need to put on his act again.

James laughs brightly at Harry and points his fingers towards the cones and makes grasping motions. He watched as Harry walked towards him and was about to give him the cone, but Ginny stopped him.

"He's not getting any ice cream until he finishes his food," she stated firmly and moved a spoonful of baby food towards him.

James scrunched his nose in disgust and faced away from the spoon. He refused to eat that. However, Ginny would not give up and kept putting the spoon in his sight.

It's seems that James needed to ask his dad for help.

He faced Harry and widen his eyes making him look adorable. Just to be safe, he made his eyes a little teary.

Tom smirked internally as he saw Harry's eyes soften.

"Maybe he is full and now wants a treat Ginny," Harry said. "It's not good to be forceful."

Ginny sighed and put the spoon back in the jar in defeat. "I know, but James doesn't like eating baby food. I'm just trying to get him used to it."

Harry just smiled down at her and leaned down to give her a kiss. James saw his mother sigh happily.

He couldn't keep watching this and said, "ice cream."

Tom cringed. He still has a lisp and trouble pronouncing words.

He watched as Harry laughed at him and handed him the small chocolate ice cream cone. He happily accepted it.


End file.
